Lord Foster introduced this Bill on 8 January 2020 and the Second Reading took place on 7 February. The date of Committee Stage is yet to be announced.
The purpose of the Bill is to create an obligation on the Secretary of State to ensure that all domestic premises in England and Wales have an energy rating (EPC) of C or above. Currently the average EPC in England and Wales is band D.
This Bill, if it becomes law, would mean that the Government would have to support the retro-fitting of houses in England and Wales. At present, UK homes are responsible for 17% of all carbon emissions, as a high proportion of properties in the UK are ‘period’ with little in-built insulation. This law would considerably reduce the amount of energy needed to heat homes. As the country moves toward clean electricity as its main source of energy there will need to be a reduction in energy used to heat and light homes to ensure that this is possible.
In the post-Covid–19 economy, retrofitting the existing housing stock could prove to be an effective way to stimulate the building sector and ensure that we build back better.
In the second reading debate there was cross-party support for the premise of the Bill and a wider discussion on emissions made by homes across the UK and where steps can be taken to tackle this.
Unfortunately, Government Minister, Lord Duncan of Springbank responded to the debate to say that the Government would not support the Bill.